Radon Mitigation in Winterstown, PA
Updated
PA DEP has 6,293 home radon tests on record from the ZIP codes that cover Winterstown (17322, 17356). 61.6% came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level, against 52.5% for York County as a whole. That puts Winterstown clearly above the county as a whole. A standard system here typically costs $800 to $1,500. The only way to know about one house is to test it.
Winterstown is a borough in York County with about 389 residents and 176 homes, median year built 1982. It is surrounded by North Hopewell Township. The town was originally named Apple Grove, after an early orchard. 61.6% of PA DEP radon tests in its ZIP codes came back at or above the action level, above the county's 52.5%.
What the PA DEP test records show for Winterstown
ZIP codes don't follow borough lines, so the 2 ZIP codes below also take in some homes just outside Winterstown.
| ZIP | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L | 10+ | 20+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17322 | 952 | 7.6 | 65.2% | 43% | 26.3% |
| 17356 | 5,341 | 6.1 | 60.9% | 36.3% | 19.7% |
| York County | 98,845 | 4.3 | 52.5% | 26.8% | 13.1% |
- ZIP 17322 (about 64% of Winterstown's land): median 7.6 pCi/L across 952 tests, 26.3% at 20 or higher, top reading 445. Basement median 8.8, first floor 3.
- ZIP 17356 (about 36% of Winterstown's land): median 6.1 pCi/L across 5,341 tests, 19.7% at 20 or higher, top reading 488. Basement median 7.7, first floor 1.4.
The spread inside Winterstown runs from 60.9% of tests high in 17356 to 65.2% in 17322.
Half of the story is the median. The other half is the tail: 37.3% of tests here were 10 pCi/L or higher and 20.7% were 20 or higher. The top reading on record in these ZIP codes is 488 pCi/L. Neighboring houses can differ by a factor of ten, so none of this tells you what your house is. It tells you the odds are high enough that a $15 to $30 test kit is worth buying.
Tests people chose to run, not a random survey. Details on the York County radon levels page.
Basement readings versus first-floor readings
In ZIP 17322, basement tests have a median of 8.8 pCi/L, while tests taken on the first floor have a median of 3 pCi/L (72 first-floor tests). The basement number runs 2.9 times the first-floor number, which is the usual pattern: radon comes up from the soil, so it is strongest at the lowest level and gets diluted as it moves up through the house.
It also explains why two neighbors can get very different results. One tested a finished basement, the other tested a first-floor bedroom. For a decision about mitigation, the test that counts is the one from the lowest level anyone spends time in.
Radon results by decade in ZIP 17322
| Decade tested | Tests | Median pCi/L | 4+ pCi/L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 273 | 7.8 | 68.5% |
| 2010s | 448 | 7.2 | 63.4% |
| 2020s | 159 | 8.1 | 62.9% |
The share peaked in the 2000s at 68.5% and sits at 62.9% for tests since 2020. That is a small move, well within what you'd expect from a shifting mix of home-sale tests and retests. 159 tests have been logged in 17322 since 2020, so people here are still testing.
Housing in Winterstown and what it means for a system
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024:
| Winterstown | York County | |
|---|---|---|
| Homes (housing units) | 176 | 189,857 |
| Median year built | 1982 | 1976 |
| Built before 1940 | 25.6% | 18.3% |
| Built before 1980 | 46% | 54.8% |
| Built 2000 or later | 23.9% | 20.6% |
| Single-family detached | 72.2% | 64.3% |
| Attached (rowhome, townhouse) | 17.6% | 17.1% |
| Mobile homes | 9.1% | 4.1% |
| Owner-occupied | 64.4% | 76.3% |
25.6% of the homes in Winterstown were built before 1940, against 18.3% county-wide. Houses that old usually sit on stone or early block foundations with no vapor barrier and plenty of joints, which gives soil gas more ways in. They are still very fixable. The installer just spends more time sealing, and sometimes needs a second suction point, which is why these jobs tend to land toward the upper end of the cost range.
9.1% of homes in Winterstown are mobile or manufactured homes, well above the county's 4.1%. Those sit over a crawlspace or skirted pad rather than a basement, and the fix is different: a sealed membrane over the soil with suction under it. See crawlspace radon for what that involves.
Cost-wise, expect older houses in Winterstown to land in the $1,200 to $2,500 part of the range once sealing and a possible second suction point are counted. Newer houses are usually the standard $800 to $1,500 job. Full ranges on the cost page.
Where we work in Winterstown
Main roads include Route 24. The town was originally named Apple Grove, after an early orchard.
Installers must hold a PA DEP radon mitigation certification (how to check), and permit questions go to the borough office at www.winterstownborough.com.
Common questions
Is radon a problem in Winterstown?
Yes. PA DEP has 6,293 tests on record from the ZIP codes covering Winterstown, and 61.6% of them came back at or above the EPA's 4.0 pCi/L action level. 20.7% were at 20 pCi/L or more. The county-wide rate is 52.5%.
What is the average radon level in ZIP 17322?
The median of 952 PA DEP tests in ZIP 17322 is 7.6 pCi/L and the mean is 21.1 pCi/L. A mean that far above the median means a long tail of very high readings, topping out at 445 pCi/L.
Nearby
Red Lion 60.9%, Felton 65.2%, Cross Roads 65.2%, North Hopewell Township 62.2%, Windsor Township 57.2%. Share of PA DEP tests at or above 4.0 pCi/L, against 61.6% here.
Have a test result from Winterstown?
Send us the number and the foundation type, or call and read it out.
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